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Lucan didn’t touch her He opened his ue A million questions pelted his brain Where the bloody hell should he begin? He had trouble breathing, e what she’d confessed

Her next jagged sob tore at his heart Banshee or not, she was still the sa her to kill the family had clearly tormented her soul, and he had to absolve her of that now

"You didn’t mean to kill anyone"

She raised her tear-streaked face to glare at hily Mathias told me that he would kill you if I didn’t"

Her news stabbed him directly in the heart "You did it to protect me?"

"Yes At first he threatened to rape ive me to the Anarki and let them use me until I bled out, like Ice’s sister I told him I would rather die than commit murder So he threatened the one person he kneould do anything to save I couldn’t let him hurt you, not when I could prevent it" She scrubbed her hands across her face and sobbed again

She had betrayed her gentle nature and slain so inside herself simply to save him? He felt sickened and humbled and confused as hell

Lucan wrapped his arhtly "Oh, Anka Love…"

She shook away his hold "After it was over, Mathias returned me to his lair That’s when he broke our bond and…you know the torment he inflicted then I only escaped alive because Shock convinced him that if you knew I lived with your eneht even h Lucan He’d been feeling almost charitable toward Shock all day for his help with Anka Little had he known the fucker had openly plotted to rip his heart out and kick him in the balls all at once "It worked For thirty-four days, I was utterly incapacitated withI haven’t been worth a shit since If Shock convinced Mathias to release you into his keeping, how did you come to be with Aquarius?"

"I…ran away Shock let me He knehere to find ht"

And Shock had sio? Why?

"Eventually, I realized I’d put Aquarius in danger, so I returned to Shock I was near death, and that was hoanted it He refused to let y into me that day and every day for weeks I was revived physically, but I couldn’t let go of the guilt or pain Or the intense yearning that had ht virtually sleepless I didn’t re the love of h of uilt, and he spankedthat had been eating an to recover a bit more"

"The bruises he left on you were fros" Lucan’s words were a hard, low accusation

She blushed "They were Sometimes, pain…frees me I’m certain that doesn’tof a crop and hold in all o of the pain on the inside to handle the pain tothat someone is in control of that allows o"

Anka was right; he didn’t cos, either She believed it worked, and that was all he needed to know about Shock’s discipline now

"What made you finally remember me?

"I heard Shock on the phone one day I don’t knoho he was talking with, but I heard hied breath as fresh tears fell "Everything ca flood I reether Immediately, I came home to see you, to talk I don’t knohy exactly, except that I longed to see you But I heard your howling and your feral growls I knew you mournedI could to save you fro, so I performed the helbresele spell and healed you When you asked me to come home, I wanted to so desperately But by then, reat I couldn’t possibly deserve you anyaps in his knowledge of the terrible events that had torn theine for a second that he would think her unworthy? As much as he hated to ad out that she was a banshee while under Mathias’s thumb must have been a dreadful jolt to Anka, and she’d had no one to comfort her She’d done so very much to save and protect him--they would talk about the fact that she should have let him shelter her, not the other way around--and he owed her everything for her selfless giving, especially his love

Lucan reached for her once ht hiht drained out of her Still, she wouldn’t look at hi

"Love, your sins were forced on you I would never blaht to leaving me before Mathias abducted you?"

"No"

"Had you ever any urge to kill before?"

She shook her head frantically "No"

"Had you secretly been lusting for Mathias and his whip?"

"Never!" Her expression told hiht horrified her

"Do you love Shock?"

Now she hesitated "Yes"

The betrayal darkening his heart must have shown on his face When he would have backed away, she grabbed his ar I have loved Shock since I was a girl He’s h transition For many years, he’s been the keeper of my secrets and my protector"

Every word ripped into Lucan’s chest and tore out his heart "But you chose me as the mate of your heart Do you love him more?"

She shook her head "That would be impossible He is "

The tight grip of his panic eased She loved Shock as a friend The wizard had been loyal to her She owed hiiance and her affection Lucan still didn’t trust the bastard one centimeter--unless Anka’s welfare was involved Then he knew the attitude and the leather jacketto do whatever it took to save Anka and make her happy As he was